Supergene Mineralization of Nonsulfide Zinc Deposits
Summary
Supergene mineralization in nonsulfide zinc deposits arises from the weathering and oxidation of primary sulphide ores, typically sphalerite, under near-surface conditions. Percolating meteoric waters, often acidified by the oxidation of iron sulphides, leach zinc and transport it in solution until changes in pH, redox potential or microbial activity induce precipitation of secondary zinc phases. The most common products are carbonates (smithsonite), silicates (hemimorphite), hydroxyl carbonates (hydrozincite) and oxides or oxy-hydroxides (goethite, limonite). These assemblages form distinctive gossanous caps and residual enrichment zones that may attain economic grades. Supergene processes operate over extended timescales during exhumation, climate shifts and fluid pathway evolution, generating complex paragenetic sequences. Geochemical controls such as host-rock lithology, microbial mediation and fluctuating redox conditions dictate the spatial distribution of zinc and associated critical metals (In, Ge, Ga). Globally significant examples occur in African and Mediterranean Mississippi Valley-type districts, karst-hosted veins and orogenic carbonate platforms. Beyond their resource potential, nonsulfide zinc ores pose distinct metallurgical challenges and environmental considerations, particularly regarding the mobility of trace elements in mine wastes. Advances in isotopic thermometry, microanalytical mapping and geochemical modelling have begun to unravel the interplay between hydrothermal inheritance and supergene overprint, guiding exploration of concealed zinc resources and informing sustainable management of oxidised ore domains.
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Supergene Mineralization of Nonsulfide Zinc Deposits publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in supergene mineralization of nonsulfide zinc deposits across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Supergene mineralization: Secondary enrichment processes occurring near the Earth’s surface that alter primary sulphide ores into oxide, carbonate or silicate minerals.
Nonsulfide zinc deposit: An ore in which zinc occurs predominantly as oxides, carbonates or silicates rather than as sulphides.
Smithsonite: Zinc carbonate (ZnCO₃), a common secondary zinc mineral formed under oxidising conditions.
Hemimorphite: A zinc silicate hydrate (Zn₄Si₂O₇(OH)₂·H₂O) typically precipitated from neutral to slightly alkaline solutions.
Gossan: The iron-rich, often rusty-coloured cap of oxidised rock that marks the upper limit of a mineral deposit.
Fe-oxy-hydroxides: Iron oxide and hydroxide minerals (e.g., goethite, limonite) that scavenge and host trace metals in weathering profiles.
References
- Origin of the Moroccan Touissit-Bou Beker and Jbel Bou Dahar Supergene Non-Sulfide Biomineralization and Its Relevance to Microbiological Activity, Late Miocene Uplift and Climate Changes. Minerals (2021).
- The Pb-Zn (Ba) Nonsulfide Mineralizations at Bou Caïd (Ouarsenis, Algeria): Mineralogy, Isotope Geochemistry, and Genetic Inferences. Minerals (2021).
- Influence of Genetic Processes on Geochemistry of Fe-oxy-hydroxides in Supergene Zn Non-Sulfide Deposits. Minerals (2020).
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